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Fire risk assessments

A guest house operator near Bridgwater in Somerset has been ordered to pay more than £60,000 after inspectors found it was letting people sleep in a building with no fire alarm, no firefighting equipment and no fire risk assessment.

As a Watch Commander with 27 years in the UK Fire Service, I've seen first-hand what happens when fire breaks out in a building where people are asleep and nobody has planned for it. This case is a timely reminder that fire safety in sleeping accommodation is not optional – it's the law.

What happened?

The premises were referred to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) by the local authority. When fire safety inspectors visited in August 2024, they found failings serious enough to raise real concern about whether guests would be warned of a fire and be able to get out safely.

The inspectors served a prohibition notice, banning the use of the building for sleeping accommodation until the problems were put right.

On 19 October 2026, at Taunton Magistrates' Court, the operating company, Walpole House Limited, and one of its directors – who also ran a separate sole-trader business providing accommodation at the premises – both pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The penalties

• Walpole House Limited: fined £52,000, plus a £2,000 surcharge and £9,801.90 in prosecution costs
• The director (as a sole trader): fined £1,480, plus a £592 surcharge

That's a total of more than £65,000 – and that's before you count the lost income from the prohibition notice, the cost of the remedial work, and the damage to the business's reputation.

What did inspectors find?

The list of failings reads like a checklist of the basics:

• No fire risk assessment
• No fire alarm system
• No firefighting equipment
• Inadequate emergency lighting
• Incomplete fire doors throughout the building
• Inadequate evacuation procedures
• No regular maintenance of the fire safety measures that were in place

The seven offences covered general fire precautions, the fire risk assessment, fire safety arrangements, detection and warning equipment, emergency routes and exits, procedures for serious and imminent danger, and maintenance.

The inspector who led the investigation, Tony Hickey, summed it up simply: "Fire safety is not optional."

Why sleeping accommodation is so high-risk

From a firefighter's point of view, guest houses, B&Bs, hotels, holiday lets and HMOs are some of the buildings that worry us most. Here's why:

• People are asleep. Without a working fire alarm, they may not wake up until it's too late. Smoke, not flames, is the biggest killer.
• Guests don't know the building. Unlike your own home, they don't know where the exits are, especially in the dark and in smoke.
• Escape routes must be protected. Proper fire doors and emergency lighting buy people the minutes they need to get out.

When these basics are missing, a small fire can become a tragedy very quickly.

What the law requires

If you run any premises where people sleep – a guest house, B&B, small hotel, holiday let, Airbnb, or HMO – you are the Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order. That means you must:

1. Have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment – and in England, record the full assessment in writing
2. Act on its findings – fixing the problems it identifies
3. Provide appropriate fire detection and alarm systems
4. Provide suitable firefighting equipment where needed
5. Keep escape routes clear and protected, including working fire doors and emergency lighting
6. Have a clear evacuation plan, and make sure staff know it
7. Maintain and test your fire safety equipment regularly – and keep records
8. Review your fire risk assessment regularly, and whenever something changes

It's also worth remembering that fines for fire safety offences in the magistrates' court are unlimited, and the most serious cases can lead to imprisonment.

Five quick checks you can do today

If you run accommodation, take ten minutes to ask yourself:

1. Do I have a written, up-to-date fire risk assessment? When was it last reviewed?
2. Does my fire alarm work, and is it tested weekly? Are there records?
3. Do my fire doors close fully on their own and fit properly in their frames?
4. Does my emergency lighting work if the power goes off?
5. Would a guest know how to get out in the dark, in a building they don't know?

If the answer to any of these is "no" or "I'm not sure", it's time to act – before an inspector, or a fire, finds the gaps for you.

Don't wait for a prohibition notice

This case didn't start with a fire. It started with a referral and an inspection. The good news is that nobody was hurt – but the business still faced a huge bill, a closure, and a criminal record.

Compliance is far cheaper than a prosecution, and far, far cheaper than a fire.

How Whale Fire can help

At Whale Fire, we carry out clear, practical fire risk assessments for guest houses, B&Bs, holiday lets, HMOs and other businesses. Drawing on decades of frontline Fire Service experience, we'll show you exactly where you stand, what needs doing, and how to put it right – in plain English, without the jargon.

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Want to understand the basics first? Download our guide, The Complete Guide to Fire Risk Assessments & Fire Safety Compliance (add link here).

Whale Fire – Extinguish the Risk.

Richard Whale, Watch Commander, UK Fire Service, and Founder of Whale Fire Ltd

Source: Fire Protection Association, "Fine for guest house fire safety failings" (29 October 2026).